Not All Erudite Are Evil (Dauntless LevixErudite Reader)
by Phoenix Levi
Summary: Am I "out of the ordinary" because I don't ALWAYS want to be super happy and farm tomatoes all day without a care in the world? Or hug random strangers? I suppose that's what the peace serum is for… So you don't have thoughts like this. So that you do this stuff without question. When I stopped consuming it, I realized that. I realized that I wasn't super into this "Amity" thing.
1. Chapter 1: Last Day In Amity

You didn't have any dreams thankfully. Amity's strawberry tea helped you get to sleep last night. You were having trouble because you couldn't stop thinking about today. Today was testing day. The day where you finally know where you really belong and who you truly are. You lay there in your bed with your eyes shut but you weren't really asleep. Giggling, your eyes flutter open as you glance around your room. Patches of sunlight were pouring in from your bedroom window and shining in your room. Giving it a warm and peaceful feeling. You sit up in bed and pull your covers off.

_Today, I get to see what faction I really belong in, _you think to yourself.

_...what faction I really belong in._

The thought had been repeating in your head since last night. You never felt you belonged with Amity... So where did you belong? The anticipation of finally being able to get the answer to that agonizing question was killing you.

You grab your sunset orange towel from your bedroom closet and head for the shower area. You never really liked showering there in Amity because of the water always being so cold. That and the shower only lasted for five minutes to save water.

After getting undressed, you turn the knob in the shower and wait for the water to come raining down. Immediately, cold droplets began pouring down your neck and back. You let a gasp as soon as the icy water made contact with your skin. You smile as the water began to feel refreshing on your body. Then you sigh.

_Maybe I am going to miss the cold five minute showers of Amity._

. . .

Once you get out of the shower, you let your mother comb your hair. You knew you were a little too old- sixteen to be exact- but you've never been able to do it yourself. Beauty was never something you were an expert on. Your mother leaves it down so that your (h/l) (h/c) bounces as you walk. After your mom is finished with your hair, you go to your closet to pick out some clothes. You pick out a simple yellow button up shirt and some red jeans.

The colors are ridiculous together in your opinion but that's the only colors Amity wears so you put it on.

Your mother comes in and when she sees your outfit choice, she frowns (which was not something you often see Amity do). Your mother and you have a very different sense of style. She wanted you to dress more girly and frilly like the other Amity girls but you were more into the simple stuff. Plus, you felt the dresses girls here in Amity wore were ridiculous. After a moment though, her lips curl up into a smile and her eyes sparkle; the frown completely fading away.

"You look nice," she compliments.

"Thank you," you reply, as you pull on a cherry red blazer over your arms and onto your shoulders.

You smile back at her, making it your best smile. Although, for some reason, you didn't feel happy (Once again, not something you normally see with an Amity)

Your mother must have sensed it because her smile grows into a more soft one and she says, "I know today's a big day, but there truly is nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, I know," you reply, looking down at the ground. Your smile faltering.

You knew you were never meant for Amity. You tried to find an optimistic side to that. No more red and yellow, no more five minute cold showers, no more picking tomatoes and other fruits in the broiling hot sun all day... But now, as you look at your mother, you see how much you were going to miss all that. When your mother sees your sadness, she walks towards you with open arms and embraces you in a big, tight hug. You hug her back, closing your eyes.

Leaving this place is going to be so much harder now.

You both stand there, hugging in silence, but your mom eventually pulls away. She looks into your eyes.

Her sparkly happy light blue orbs stare into your (e/c) ones as she says, "(f/n), no matter what faction you choose, just know that you'll always be my daughter and I'll always love you."

_ "__I'll always love you"_ sinks down into your heart, and you felt warm inside. A genuine smile appears on your face.

"Okay, thanks," you simply say. "I love you too."

Your mother smiles and she begins making her way towards your bedroom door.

"C'mon," she says, tilting her head towards the door. "We're having chai tea with breakfast this morning."

You loved chai tea (If you dont, just go with it).

You and your mother leave the room together and make your way towards the dining hall.


	2. Chapter 2: Know-It-All Erudites

Hanji's P.O.V

I make my way through the maze of hallways of the Dauntless compound until I find the dining hall. My eyes scan the crowd of various wild dauntless until I find the 5'3 man I'm looking for.

I smirk to myself.

_I almost didn't see him._

Ignoring the stares, I make my way to him.

"What is it, Shitty Glasses?" was the first thing that came out of Levi's mouth when I approached him. He didn't even turn around to look at me.

_He could at least come up with a more original nickname._

"How'd you know it was me?" I ask.

"Tch. Anyone a mile away could smell the Erudite lab chemicals and your lack of hygiene."

"Well excuse me for being too busy to shower. We're hard at work on something big!" I yell in a defensive tone.

"Is that so?" he says sarcastically.

"Yes. But enough with the small talk," I say, clearing my throat. "Levi, I assume you know why i'm here."

"No," Levi says flatly. "And I don't care either."

He gets up from the table and as he's about to walk away, I grab his shoulder and tug him towards me. He immediately grabs my wrist and twists it. Gritting my teeth in pain, I immediately rip my hand back.

"Don't touch me," he growls.

"Then pay attention!" I say, massaging my wrist.

"Make it quick, four-eyes. I'm not in the mood for your shit today," he grumbles, leaning against a wall and crossing his arms. He was finally giving me his full attention.

I straighten my lab coat then, smiling, I hand him a stack of papers. He takes them slowly, glaring at me suspiciously.

"What the hell is this?" Levi asks.

I know he said he 'wasn't in the mood for my shit today', but I couldn't help it.

"It's a stack of papers, Levi. Just what it looks like," I tease, grinning.

His glare hardens and he rolls up the papers and smacks them hard against my temple.

"I mean what the hell is on them, smart-ass!" he hisses.

Rubbing my temple with my middle and index finger, I grin.

"Cant you read? I can help you. I am an Erudite after all," I snicker.

He smacks me again and opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off, speaking before he does.

"I recommend you take good care of those. They're government records and you will need them for today."

Frowning, Levi begins looking through the papers; I see his frown thicken as his eyes scan all the names listed on them.

"What do all these brats names have to do with me?"

"Those are the names of the sixteen year olds you'll be applying the Aptitude Test to today," I answer.

Levi stops looking through the papers and glares at me.

"What?" he says in a dangerous tone.

"The Aptitude Test... You'll be helping us out with it today."

"Fuck no," Levi replies bluntly.

"I'm afraid you don't have much choice in the matter. Erwin has already set you up as one of the Dauntless volunteers."

"Bastard. No one wanted to tell me this before?" He asks through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, sorry. It was on short notice," I apologize, walking away. "Aptitude tests start in an hour. There's a car waiting for you to take you to the-"

I turn around to see he'd begun walking the opposite direction.

"Hey! Where are you going?" I yell.

"If i'm going into the city, i'm doing it my way," he answers.

"Uh... Okay," I say, blinking. "As long as you make it to the city in time for the tests!"

And after I said that, Levi turned and a corner and was gone. I stand there in silence, pondering something.

_Why the hell would he waste his energy jumping on a train if I offered him a car? Must be a dauntless thing._

I shrugged then began walking towards the exit. I manage to find my way through the hallways again until i'm back outside the Dauntless compound. My fellow Erudite lab partner, Moblit, sees me and opens the passenger door of the car for me.

"Thanks," I say, stepping in the car and shutting the door.

"So is he going to do it?" Moblit asks, as he begins driving.

"Of course he is. He doesn't have a choice. Erwin was the one who signed him up for today."

"Why did he do that?"

"Because Levi is the most capable of running the test simulation. We need at least one Dauntless volunteer and he was the best choice," I answer.

There were other reasons Levi was chosen but I wasn't supposed to discuss that. I didn't really want to either.

Moblit nodded then was silent a moment before asking, "Do you think anyone will join us?"

"Hm?"

"I mean, with all those nasty rumors going around about our faction..Do you think anybody will transfer to the Erudite?" He continues.

I frown and look down at my feet. He was right, but I wouldn't call the Erudite trying to gain charge of the government a rumor; it's true, we were, but we're not harming anyone like people are saying. At least... I hope we're not. The Erudite leader doesn't really let us in on much. There was that secret lab upstairs...

"Hanji?" Moblit says, his voice snapping me out of my thoughts.

I quickly realize that I had never answered his question. I had been too distracted by the thoughts of what Erudite was willing to do to have government control.

"Huh?" I reply.

"Did you hear me? What do you think will happen at the Choosing Ceremony? Do you think anyone will transfer to our faction?"

Sighing, I answer, "I really don't know. It depends on how people seeing this whole... _idea_ of the Erudite taking power. If they see us as qualified rulers.. Or evil dictators."

Moblit nods and says, "Oh... I see," then, "do you think we should be in charge?"

To be honest, I couldn't care less if Erudite lost this battle for government power. I think the Abnegation were running the government just fine. My concern lies in our means of government control. The Erudite leader had us scientists working on a new serum (my reason for not showering for a week). I haven't developed it enough to know what it does, but I have a feeling it's big. The Erudite leader won't tell us what it's for other than just that it's a "new simulation method." My suspicions might all be in my head though, so I won't give Moblit this answer; I need more evidence to confirm that something dangerous was really coming.

So, like I did to his last question, I answer, "I don't know. I mean, I don't really see a problem in how the Abnegation are running it now."

"Well, there's that thing our leader said. You know..about how the Abnegation say they need extra food to feed the factionless but really they're just keeping it for themselves. Could you really call that a fair way of governing things?"

I glare at him.

"How can you believe that? We don't even have all the facts together yet so we can't prove that what our leader is saying is the truth," I snap.

"What are we? Candor?" Moblit snorts.

"No, we're Erudite. And we believe in the facts. And what "our leader" is saying is not a exactly a fact!"

"Do you think it's a lie?"

"I told you already, I don't know what to think. The whole situation is sketchy. But once I find out more, then I'll know what to do.. Whose side I'm on."

With that, he stops prying. I sit with my hands clasped together and think. What can I do to find out more about this?

. . . Levi's P.O.V.

I stand by the train tracks close to the Dauntless headquarters and wait. According to the time on my watch, the train should be around soon. I couldn't miss this one or I'd be late to the Aptitude Testing; not that I cared, but I didn't exactly want shitty glasses or that bastard Erwin on my ass about it later. Just when I start to get tired of waiting, I hear the rumbles of the train wheels moving on the tracks and the train itself begins to come into view. I wait for the right moment then break into a fast run towards the it. The head of the train passes, and I reach my hand out to grab the handle bar of the third train car, pulling myself into it with ease.

Once both feet are firmly planted on the floor of the train car, I walk deeper inside- away from the edge of the car- and sit down. At first, I just sit and watch the scenery as the train passes by it, but I start to get tired of looking at the dump we call a city. To distract myself, I pull out the papers Hanji gave me and begin thumbing through them again. (f/n) (l/n) was the first person I'd be applying the test to. An Amity. Usually Amity stick with Amity so I don't see why we test them.

That was the case with most factions; unless someone is unhappy with their faction. The ones that felt like they don't belong usually want to find out where they do.

Idiots.

They were stupid to believe a test could tell them who they are. They live their whole lives thinking a stupid Erudite computer knows their inner identity. It was pathetic the way this world worked like that. When I look up from the papers, I see that the train was getting close to the school. I quickly get to my feet and make my way to the opening of the car. I wait a few seconds then leap out; my feet hitting the grass below me. The train continues it's way through the city. I start walking towards the school building where I see Hanji waiting for me with her Erudite lackeys.

Once I'm standing in front of Hanji, she smiles; her smile was always a big toothy one. I was tempted to punch her teeth out.

"Greetings, Levi. Are you ready to start the test?" she asks in a tone that was a little too cheerful.

I sigh.

"Let's get this over with," I reply, pulling the files she gave me this morning from the inside of my jacket.

"Levi! I told you to be careful with those!" Hanji screeches. "You can't just zip them up in your jacket like that! They'll get wrinkled, or lost, or even stolen that way!"

I snort.

"Oh yeah, because some shit head would really come up to me and unzip my jacket."

She frowns, putting her hands on her hips.

"And what if they did? And then they ran off with the files?"

"Aren't you supposed to be Erudite? You should know that that is highly unlikely. And if they _did _manage to do that. I'd chase them down and kill them."

Hanji snorted then burst into full out laughter, seeming to forget all the irritation she had held towards me about these damn papers.

_God, I hate her laugh._

She sounded like an idiotic maniac when she laughed. The sound was like claws on a chalkboard: It was highly unpleasant to the ears.

"You know, you're not acting very "eruditely" right now. What did I say that was so funny, shitty glasses?" I snap.

Doubled over and holding her stomach, Hanji looked up at me with a big grin. Wiping an imaginary tear from her eye.

"It was such a typical Dauntless reply that I just had to laugh," Hanji says simply.

Crossing my arms, I glare hard at her. Even though Dauntless was my chosen faction, I despised being associated with them. And she knew that.

Typical know-it-all Erudite.

To keep myself from punching out all her stupid teeth, I change the subject.

"Whatever. Can we just go in the damn school already?" I growl.

"Yes, of course." Hanji chirps, clearing her throat and standing up straight again.

After she regains her full Erudite composure, she and her partners lead me into the building. We make our way through hallways and pass classrooms until we reach a series of large metal doors. Hanji takes a ring of keys out of the pocket of her blue lab coat and fumbles through them until she finds the one she is searching for. Separating that key from the ring, she sticks it in a lock on one of the doors and twists it; she takes the door knob and pushes open the door, revealing the familiar mirrored room for the Aptitude Test.

"This here will be your testing room, Levi," she explains, placing the key in my hand. "The computer is all ready and the serums are all here..."

She looks at me, raising an eyebrow, and says, "I assume you know how to run the test simulation. If not, me or one of my partners could sho-"

"Yes, I know how to run them," I say, interrupting her.

"Then I'll leave you to it then," she says, clapping her hands and walking out the door. "Good luck!"

With that, she exits and slams the door shut behind her.

_What the hell does she mean "Good luck"? I'm not the one taking the test. Just running it._

Ignoring the thought, I check my watch again. In about one minute, all the brats will go to the lunchroom and wait for their names to be called for testing. To pass time, I begin looking through the list of names to make sure I know them. After about 30 seconds, I hear the bell ring and then the annoying chatter and footsteps of the sixteen year olds as they file through the hallway. Even through the door, you could tell what faction they were a part of.

The Erudite talked about the lesson they had just went over in class and pointed out the rights and wrongs in the information.

The Dauntless had loud, thunderous footsteps as they ran through the hallway. You could hear their loud whoops and yells and the occasional sound of something or someone crashing.

The Candor were having lively debates about all kinds of different topics.

You heard an occasional "let me get that for you" and "do you need any help" from the Abnegation.

Lastly, you could hear the claps, giggles, and happy discussions that came from the Amity.

This is going to be a long day, I thought, rolling my eyes.

Leaning against the wall, I wait another minute to let all the pre-faction students settle into their lunch tables. Soon, I hear a knock on the door and open it to see Hanji.

"Are you ready? Everyone's all settled in," she squealed excitedly.

_What could be so exciting about drugging a bunch of kids in and connecting them to a sick computer simulation?_

I suppose it's an Erudite thing.

Nodding, I follow her out into the lunchroom. Hanji, Moblit, a couple of other testers, and I all line up against a wall. We dont even have to get everyone's attention because their eyes are already on us. They still went about whatever they were doing, but they were quiet so the name of the first test takers could be heard.

"Eren Jaeger," Hanji calls with a smile.

"Mikasa Ackerman," Moblit calls.

"Armin Arlet," yells the other Erudite scientist.

Then a Dauntless next to me, a woman with purple hair, calls, "Krista Lenz"

Finally, it was my turn to announce a student's name.

Clearing my throat, I call, "(f/n) (l/n)."

A (h/c) haired girl who had been lying her head on a table looks around until her eyes met mine. She immediately stood up and begins hesitantly walking my way. I took immediate notice that her behaviour was strange for an Amity. The other Amity girls were singing and clapping together; this girl was sitting away from everyone and lying her head down like she was depressed. If I had called any other Amity, they would've skipped over here with a huge grin and probably an occasional giggle. (f/n) made her way towards me slowly (nervous probably) with a grim expression. She obviously didn't belong in her faction. Which faction will she transfer to?

Is she honest (smart-mouthed) like Candor?

Is she selfless (a complete stiff) like Abnegation?

If you took one look at her, you could tell she wasn't Dauntless, but looks could be deceiving.

Maybe she's a know-it-all Erudite.

_That's the last thing this shitty world needs: More Erudite._

A sudden thought appeared in my head: _Maybe she's more than one._ If that was the case then I'm starting to see why I was chosen to test students today. (f/n) finally stands in front of me, shifting from one foot to the other; her composure seems both nervous and calm at the same time.

"Hello," she says softly, looking into my eyes.

_She has pretty eyes_ was the first thought that popped into my head, but then I shake it off quickly.

"Follow me," I demand, walking back towards the testing room. I glance back occasionally to make sure she was still behind me.

She follows obediently, keeping her eyes on the ground. Her eyes didn't come up until we are both finally standing in the testing room.


	3. Chapter 3: The Test: Part One

Not in the mood to play whatever game the other Amity girls were playing, you sit away from them. They sat at the right end of the table so you sat on the left. You lay your head down on the cool surface of the table. You close your eyes but then suddenly feel someone tapping on your knee.

_What the?_

Your eyes shoot open and you look under the table. You immediately see two turquoise eyes staring back at you. Eren grins at you, motioning for you to come join him.

"Eren, what the hell are you doing down there?" you hiss, looking around to make sure no one was watching us.

The Dauntless were too busy watching two other Dauntless- A boy with multi colored brown hair and a girl who had cold merciless blue eyes and blonde hair tied up in a small bun- arm wrestle. They pounded their fists on the table to cheer on the competitors. To no surprise, the Erudites were studying and reading. The Candor were shouting at each other, having a debate of some sort, but it was still friendly. The only Candor who isn't taking part of the debate was Eren's sister, Mikasa. Not only was she not participating, but she was staring right at you; her metallic looking eyes were practically piercing your soul. You look away quickly and check out other tables, trying to ignore the feeling of Mikasa's eyes on the back of your head.

Abnegation were sitting quietly, staring at the table. All the faction kids were distracted by something, meaning it was okay for you to disappear under the table and talk to Eren. Eren grins in triumph as you duck under the table and take a seat on the floor next to him.

"Sorry, this is the only way we can talk," Eren apologizes, shifting to make more room on the floor for you. "You looked like you needed someone to talk to."

"It's fine," you say, hugging your knees to your chest. "And thanks. I'm not lonely or anything, just… nervous. For the test and all."

Eren nods.

"There's nothing to be nervous about," says someone from beside you.

You swing around and are greeted by Armin's sweet baby blue eyes and soft smile.

"Hey Armin. Where'd you come from?" you ask.

Armin scoots further under the table and answers, "um… I was studying with everybody else, but I saw Eren go under the table, and then you, so I followed to see what was going on."

_Studying?_

When you had looked over at the Erudite table, he wasn't there. Had he already been making his way here when you were looking?

"He's lying," says a strong female voice that came from behind you.

You look over at Eren and see Mikasa has joined us under the table, sitting next to her brother.

"Mikasa!" Armin cries.

"You mean you _weren't _studying with the other Erudite students?" Eren asks curiously.

Armin frowns at the ground, avoiding our stares and Eren's question.

"No. He was getting picked on by those Dauntless brutes," answers Mikasa in a low dangerous tone.

"That's terrible," you gasp, looking at Armin sympathetically. "Are you okay?"

Armin gives me a weak smile and replies, "yeah. The torment wasn't too bad this time. They just scattered all my books and papers is all."

"That's still uncalled for!" Eren growls. "When I join Dauntless, I'll teach all of them a-"

Mikasa covers his mouth and glares at him.

"We aren't supposed to talk about what we'll choose at the Choosing Ceremony," she hisses.

Ripping Mikasa's hand off, Eren returns the glare. They both have frightening glares; each one deadly, insane and soul piercing.

"Who's gonna hear me? We're under a table for god sakes!" Eren snaps.

You try to suppress a giggle at that, but it comes out anyway. Eren smiles at your laughter, sneaking one last glare at Mikasa. Armin, clearly not wanting to talk about his bullies anymore, changes the subject.

"Are you still worried about the test?" he asks.

You had actually forgotten about the test until he mentioned it. _Does this mean i'm not nervous anymore?_

"Uh… Yeah, kind of," you answer, fidgeting.

"What? Really?" Eren says. "What are you so nervous about anyway?"

"Yeah," adds Armin, "the chances of failing and becoming factionless are very low."

"failing" and "factionless" are the only words you hear and your eyes widen. Eren quickly tries to divert your focus.

"You're a really peaceful person, (f/n). I bet you'll be right back with Amity and with your family!"

_Peaceful? Was that the best compliment you could come up with, Eren?_

_But I don't want to be an Amity! I cant be a banjo-strumming softie for the rest of my life!_

Mikasa must have seen your panic increase because she says, "give up guys. It's not working."

Eren and Armin look at you sadly, and you try to smile at them.

"Thank you for trying, guys. You made me feel a little better," you say to try to reassure them.

They smile and Eren is about to say something but then we hear the lunchroom get quieter. The scientist must be ready to start calling names.

"We better get going," says Mikasa.

"Good luck," Eren and Armin both say in unison, flashing me smiles before scurrying out from under the table.

Eren bumps his head on the edge of the table on the way out, causing an immediate laugh to escape your mouth. He yells out a foul word then sticks his tongue out at you. Him and Armin then proceed back to their tables. Mikasa gives you a nod and a small "good luck" before crawling out and joining her brother. You quickly make your way out as well, resuming your seat at the end of the table. You rest your head down on the tabletop and listen to the names as they're called.

"Eren Jaeger," calls a female voice.

You lift your head to see your brown haired friend walk towards his future; the future he's been longing for all his years in Candor. On his way, he catches your eyes and winks. You smile at him.

"Mikasa Ackerman", calls a male voice.

Expressionless and unreadable as usual, Mikasa walks past the lunchroom to her designated tester.

Another male calls, "Armin Arlet"

You watch Armin walk confidently towards the scientist that had called his name. Armin is bound to get Erudite and he probably knows it too.

_I wish I was that confident in my test results._

Since all your friends had gotten called, you lay your head back down on the table. You hear a name you don't recognize, then, your name. Your head shoots up from the table and your eyes dart around, trying to match the icy stern voice that had called your name with the face of a tester. There was only one left standing in the lunchroom and he was looking directly at you. The moment your eyes meet his, you look away, standing up quickly and making your way towards him with your head down. You could feel your cheeks slowly beginning to burn; the feeling then made it's way to the tips of your ears. You're tester and all the kids in the lunchroom were staring at you, and it increased your anxiousness greatly.

No matter what you had done that morning, you weren't able to calm your nervousness for this moment. There were two questions that were twisting your nerves:

_Do I need to leave Amity?_

And

_Will I become factionless?_

You hadn't really been worried about the factionless thing untill you passed them on the street on the way to school this morning. Then it hit you that if you didn't belong in Amity, what faction did you belong to, did you belong in any? These thoughts, as you said before, never ceased, so you are still thinking them as you walk towards the Dauntless man that called your name. He only made your tension worse because he seemed to be observing you (like everyone else in this damn lunchroom). You suppose it's because you weren't acting like an Amity should act.

_Should I smile, giggle, skip?_

No, you were way too nervous. If you tried any of that, it would be an utter failure and you would make yourself look like a dork. With that in mind, you approach the man the way you want to.

"Follow me," he demands as soon as you're standing in front of him.

He turns his back to you, and you follow him into the testing room.

"My name's Levi by the way," he says in a bored tone, opening the door to the testing room.

When you enter the room, you slowly take in your surroundings. The room was covered in mirrors so you could see your curious gaze wherever you looked. _(f/n), you need to stay focused! _your subconscious ordered. You make your way to the chair in the center of the room, but occasionally glance back at the mirrored walls. You dont know why you were so fascinated with them; it was just odd. Why mirrors? They must've seemed fascinating because they were a distraction from your nervousness about this test.

The test seemed more intimidating now that Levi was pulling a bunch of wires with electrodes attached to the end of them; he moves your hair to the side and you practically choke when he comes towards your forehead with them. You try not to shiver, shake, or twitch, but you can't help it. Levi notices you flinch and frowns, but presses the electrodes to your forehead anyway.

"Relax," he says, as he attaches another electrode to the left side of your forehead. "This entire test is a completely painless process. These won't hurt you."

You admit, after knowing you weren't about to get electroshock therapy or something from these wires, you relaxed a little. Although, you were still a little apprehensive. His cold, stern voice wasn't exactly reassuring.

"Thanks," you say anyway; even though he did little to nothing to calm down your nerves.

"Lay back in the chair. I know you're not exactly in a relaxed state, but try to bare with it. There isn't a big likeliness for failure on these test, you know," he says, pressing an electrode to his own forehead.

You felt your cheeks and the tip of your ears burn, so you lay back. For some reason, you felt like you had already just screwed up a part of the test. Levi quickly turns his back to you to attach another wire to the computer. The wires now connected the computer to Levi and Levi to you. He turns to face you again, but this time with a small glass vial full of clear liquid. Apprehensively, you take it from his hand. You look down into the liquid and frown.

"Is this water?" you ask, bringing the cup to you lips, but not quite drinking it. "What is this?"

_What, did they think a glass of water was going to relax me or something?_

"Does it matter? Drink it," Levi demanded in an irritated tone.

_I'm putting this liquid into my body! It does matter!_

But, instead you mutter, "well, it sorta matters."

Then you take one look at Levi and realize he was not a person to argue with.

You tip the cup forward into your mouth and drink the contents.

_It doesn't taste like anything_, you thought hazily. Then you feel your eyelids grow irresistibly heavy and then shut.

. . .

When you open your eyes, you're still in the testing room, and still lying in the reclined chair.

_Did I fall asleep? _was the first thought that popped into your mind. Then, _where's Levi?_

Frowning, you look around the room, but there was no Levi in sight. All you could see was your frantic expression plastered on every mirrored wall.

_Everything looks normal. The walls, the chair, me._

Somehow though, it was not normal. You could tell by the dream-like state the room had; you don't know how to explain it, but the atmosphere had a peacefulness to it that was almost eerie. It felt like the nightmares you used to have when you were a child. In those nightmares, the dream was always at it's most peaceful, serene state before something jumped out and tried to kill you.

_Should I leave the testing room?_

Something inside you tells you that you should, but at the same time you feared leaving the room. You felt outside the this metal testing room door, instead of the normal lunchroom full of pre-faction teens going about their business, there'd be that scary monster waiting. It would jump out of it's hiding place and shatter the serene feel to this dream. But, you were tired of the suspense; you didn't want to just sit here and wait for it.

_I need to face this head on._

You stand up from the reclined testing chair and walk over to the door, reaching for the door handle and twisting it. Pushing the heavy metal door open, you walk out into the hallway then shortly find your way to the lunchroom. The lunchroom was completely empty. The long tables, that were usually filled with students, were instead stacked up against the window, blocking all but little slivers of light from entering the room. You didnt like that; it made the room too dark.

_This is so weird_, You think to yourself as you look around. Too distracted by your other surroundings, you accidentally bump your hip into something. You think it's just another random lunch table, but when you turn around to look there are two small round tables instead. There was a random object on each one. On the table to your left there lay a knife that's size would make it appear as more of a sword than knife. The table to your right had a large hunk of cheese laying on it.

"Choose," demands a cold male voice, interrupting the silence of the room.

The voice makes you jump out of your skin. Your eyes frantically scan the room but there is still not a soul in sight.

"Where the hell did that come from?" you whisper, gazing up at ceiling as if the voice somehow came from the sky.

"Choose," repeats the male.

The voice seemed to be coming from everywhere; it even seemed to echo from within your brain. Something about that made you want to listen, so you return your gaze to the objects.

"Wh-What am I choosing for? Why do I need to choose just one?" you ask, staring down at the knife and the cheese.

You don't know what drew you to it, but your fingers slide over to the knife handle.

_Am I going to kill someone? Or some_thing_?_

"Am I going to use this on someone?" you ask out loud; your voice shaking. "Or something?"

No answer. This scared you. You almost felt alone, but then the voice returns.

"Choose!" he shouts, the demand in his voice increasing.

His voice was sharp and it hurt your ears. The fact that he kept repeating that demand without any explanations made you irritated, but then a thought hit you.

_He did answer my question._

Choosing a knife would mean that, yes, I would have to take another beings life. You could choose not to do this though. Choosing the cheese would mean making peace with whatever it is. Naturally, the humane (and Amity) thing to do would be to take the cheese. Something about that option made you feel doubtful though. Is peace always going to solve things? The knife seemed the sure fire way to solve whatever problem it is you were going to face.

_No, (f/n), a good Amity girl would not think things like that. Peace is always the best answer._

You look around at the empty lunchroom again. There was no one to tell you otherwise though. In this reality, whatever it was, you felt there was no judgement in whether you took a step away from your faction or not.

_Hadn't I always told myself I didn't want to be a banjo-strumming softy for the rest of my life?_

My entire life, I was always filled with that deep desire to stray away from the option of peace. Just once, I wanted not to stop acting like an Amity for the hell of it. This wasn't exactly the situation I was asking for, but at the same time, it was everything I had been asking for.

"Choose now!" growled the male voice.

You close your eyes. Your hand was still lightly touching the rough yet smooth handle of the knife.Although your hand was shaky, you grip the knife handle as hard you can and lift it off the table. You don't open your eyes; the knife was too much proof about how Amity could never truly be your home.

_"__You're a really peaceful person, (f/n). I bet you'll be right back with Amity and with your family!"_ Eren's voice repeats in your head.

_No Eren, I wont. _You think sadly, moving the knife behind your back.

Now that the knife was no longer in your field of vision, you open your eyes. You expect to see the two round tables still standing there, but instead you are faced with an enormous growling dog. You feel your breath hitch and your heart stop completely. Your immediate reaction is to scream, but you were so frightened that the sound that comes out of your throat is more of a squeak. You were afraid of dogs when they were regular sized, but this dog was nearly as tall as you.

_Dogs are _NOT _this big in real life. But isn't this real life?_

The dog barks fiercely at you and the sound sends a piercing pain into your ears. It was so loud that, for a second, you couldn't hear anything except high pitched ringing. You would cover your ears, but you felt the slightest movement would cause the dog to rip off your limbs with it's large sharp teeth. Also, moving your hands from behind you would bring the knife into view.

_The knife… (f/n), you could save yourself from this. This could be over in a heartbeat if you just used the weapon you were given. You _chose_ the knife didnt you?_

The dog barks again and you flinch, stepping back, and as soon as you realize that you have the ability to move, you run like hell. Which probably wasn't the smartest idea because the dog chased after you at break neck speed. Of course, with four legs, it was much faster than you. But you didn't think about that; in fact, you couldn't think at all. At least, you couldn't think of anything except that dog ripping your flesh off. The dog was practically breathing down your neck as you ran.

_This is it, (f/n). One swing and you could end this. Right now._

There was so much adrenaline pumping in you that you couldn't argue. Crying out, you spin around, clutching the knife handle with both hands as if it was a sword. You went into the swing with such strong force but, when you see the blade about to go through the dogs fur and hit it's flesh, you stop. You may have had the strength to pick up the knife and consider the thought of taking a life, but you could not carry the murder out. Your weapon clatters to the floor, and you have to fight your adrenaline as hard as you can to stop running; there really was no point in running anymore.

Immediately, you feel the dog's body weight overcome you and tackle you to the ground. You let out a cry of pain when your head hits the cold hard tiles of the lunchroom floor. Although, this pain was nothing compared to what this dog was going to do to you. It barks and snarls in your face. It's teeth and lips only centimeters from your face, and it's hot breath was making your nostrils burn. You pinch your eyes shut and prepare for the worse, but then miraculously the dog stops snarling.

It's face seemed to have backed away from yours. Hesitantly, you open your eyes to see what was going on. The dog seemed to be distracted by something; it's head and body were blocking your view from whatever it was. Tilting your head as far to the side as you can to see, you spot not a "what" but a "who". Your vision was blurry, and you realize that you have been crying, but you are still able to make out the red and yellows of an Amity outfit.

Your hands were pinned underneath the dog, so you try to blink the tears out of your eyes so you can see better. The dog was distracted by a little Amity girl. She was patting her legs, trying to get the dog to come over to her. She gave a small whistle, and smiles as she pleads for the dog. The dog was frozen, and there were no signs of playfulness in it's eyes at all. You didn't like this; this dog was obviously dangerous and you didn't want that little girl saying the wrong thing to make it attack.

"Stop," you choke out.

Your voice was scratchy from the screaming and crying, so you clear your throat.

"Stop!" you shout, but still not very loud.

The little girl seems to be completely oblivious to my pleas, and she begins running towards the dog. She had a wide smile on her face and her arms were spread out to embrace the dog. Being so close to the dog, you could hear the growl in it's throat. It's weight on you begins to lighten and it was slowly forming an attack position towards the little girl.

"STOP!" You scream; this time it was much louder and angrier.

The girl does not stop, and the dog begins charging towards her with a barking ferociously. You dont know what got you moving, but all of a sudden you lurch up from your spot on the ground and break into the fastest run you've ever done in your life towards the dog. You would never be fast enough to push the girl out of the way and you definitely weren't strong enough to pin the dog down either. That left only one way to stop the dog from attacking the girl. You had tried to avoid this option, but there was no other way to save this little girl's life.

_I guess I was right. Peace may not always be the answer._

On the way towards the dog, you crouch down to grab your knife. You somehow manage to catch up to the raging animal and as it is about to pounce on the girl with it's mouth wide open, you jump after it. Bringing your knife into the air, you lower it into the dog right before it could sink it's teeth into the girls' face. You don't bring up the knife until you feel the dog go still. Tears stream down your cheeks as you feel the life of the dog fade from beneath you. Then, you are no longer in the lunchroom. The dog, the girl, and the knife were completely gone.


	4. Chapter 4: The Test: Part Two

In nearly a flash, you are back in the testing room; there is no sign of Levi, meaning you are still in this weird Aptitude Test simulation. Your heart is racing and your breathing is heavy, for you are still getting over the shock of pretty much killing an animal.

Do you really want to go through yet another nightmare?

_Maybe this one won't be so bad, _you think as you make your way towards the testing room door. When you pull it open, you're shocked not to find the regular school hallways, but an entire town.

_I guess I really don't know why I had any expectations_.

You slowly walk along the path that leads into the town. You turn to see if the door you walked in from is still there, but it has disappeared.

_Guess there's no goin' back now._

You sigh and turn your attention back to the town around you. The town definitely isn't a modern day town; you can't quite figure out what time period this town came from, but you know it was nothing recent. This town doesn't have skyscrapers, cars, well-paved streets, and glass buildings like in yours. In this town, the buildings are small and made up of bricks and wood, and there are carriages parked on the gritty, dirt road. Something that makes the town seem modern, and reminds you of home, is the giant stone wall, bigger than any of the buildings there, that seems to completely surround the outer parts of the city.

_I wonder what they're trying to keep out. I've never found out what it was our city was blocking._

Similar to the last test, there is not a person in sight; you are standing in the middle of a ghost town. It is completely silent, but then there is a giant loud clap: the clap of thunder. You spin around and you are nearly blinded by what you see. Following the clap of thunder, is the biggest, brightest lightning bolt you've ever seen in your life, and it strikes just outside the wall. The wall, you know, stands miles and miles away from you, but you know something big was going on over there.

_What's going to happen?_

As if on cue, you hear screaming. Not the scream of a single person, but the screams of a large mass of people, maybe over a hundred. You hear screaming and the sound of hundreds of feet that are pounding on the ground in a desperate run.

_Oh god, no, what is it now? _you think as you break into a sprint towards the sound. You don't have to run very far because hundreds of people soon come running towards you. In seconds, you are surrounded by a mob of the people in this town. They all run past you with anguished, frightened looks on their faces.

_They're running away from something_, you think, watching in horror as people literally fight to get farther away from whatever is happening at the wall. _What in the hell is happening?_

That's when you hear and feel it: The giant shake of the earth along with a loud, resounding noise. You're eyes go wide, and you are completely still.

_What was that?_

Then you feel it again, and again. The sound and the shake is slow and rhythmic. What does it remind you of?

_Footsteps. _

Something-something very big- is coming this way, and these people are running from it.

_Should I run too?_

Before you even have a chance to consider it, someone grabs your hand and roughly drags you towards whatever it was the people are running from.

"Wh-What are you doing?" you ask, trying to pull your hand away, but failing miserably.

"What do you mean? Have you forgotten your duty? The titans are attacking and it's our job to make sure the citizens are safe from the attack. We need you to control the situation by the wall, and we'll handle the fleeting citizens!" the man dragging you screams.

_Titans? Is that what we're running from?_

"Wha… What are titans?" you ask, frowning at the man dragging you towards the direction of the wall.

"Have you lost your mind, soldier? Look around you!" he shouts, glaring at you.

You hear a thundering footstep to your left, and look up. There, on the other side of a building, stands a creature that you have never seen in your life. It looks similar to a nude human being, but it stands taller than any building in the town.

"Damn it! More and more titans are getting in! We gotta stop them before they-"

Suddenly the man is swept off his feet by what seems to be a giant hand, and he is pulled with so much force that his hand loses it's grip on yours. You rub your hand to try and sooth the pain from the man's grip while looking up to see what grabbed the man. The giant hand belongs to another one of the giant humanoid creatures- a titan supposedly- that are apparently taking over the city. The man's scream fills your ears above everybody else's, and you are lost on what to do. He was clearly in some sort of danger, but what could you do from all the way down here. Your eyes widen as you watch the titan bring the man closer and closer to it's large mouth.

_Oh god, please tell me this isn't happening._

The titan slowly opens up it's mouth, revealing it's large human-like teeth, and you shiver at the sight of them. The titan inserts the man into it's mouth and slowly brings it's rows of teeth together to bite down on him. You let out a little high pitched scream of your own, and snap your head away from the scene. Even though you can no longer see it, you can't escape the horror. The man's scream is all of a sudden silenced, there is a loud, disturbing crunch, and you feel blood splatter the side of your face. You can no longer stand the sound of a human being devoured, so you begin to run along with the crowd of people. You want to get as far away from that titan as you can.

_What exactly is this sim supposed to prove_, you think as you run faster and faster, _and how the hell am I supposed to get out of it?_

"ALL SOLDIERS ADVANCE! LIMIT THE NUMBER OF TITANS IN THE CITY SO THE CITIZENS CAN ESCAPE!" you hear another man ahead of you shout.

You notice the man is wearing the exact same outfit as the man that had just gotten devoured. He wears a tan military jacket with an insignia of a rose on the left side of the chest and on both sleeves. Under the jacket, he has on a white button up shirt that matches his white pants, then brown boots to complete the outfit. Hanging from his sides are two strange looking metal boxes. You look around to see that many men and women around him are also wearing this attire.

_This must be some kind of uniform._

"_What do you mean? Have you forgotten your duty? The titans are attacking and it's our job to make sure the citizens are safe from the attack. We need you to control the situation by the wall, and we'll handle the fleeting citizens!"_

_A soldier? That's a soldier's uniform?_

_Wait a minute…_

You stop running and glance down at your own clothes. The typical Amity red and yellow outfit that you had put together this morning is gone, and replaced with a uniform of your very own. It seems the only way to get out of this sim is to be like the other soldiers, and fight.


	5. Chapter 5: The Test: Part Three

Fight? But with what? It's not like you could fight those things with your bare hands or anything. Even if you had a weapon, what could you do with it? These things were huge! What weapon would be powerful enough to stop them?

A cannon maybe?

_Where the hell are you supposed to get a cannon, (f/n)? _you scold yourself frustratedly.

You look around to see what the other soldiers are doing. You see a man with two giant swords in his hand and then realize all the other soldiers have them too. You instantly glance down at your body to check for some kind of sword holster of your own. You find a pair of handles attached to your waist instead, so you take them into your hands.

_Okay, so what the hell am I supposed to do with just the handles?_ you think in irritation as you start searching for more clues on your uniform. You suddenly realize that you've been staring at the sword holsters all along: It looks as though the giant metal boxes hanging from your thighs are holding the blades, for you can see the ends of them sticking out. The ends look like they might connect to the handle, so you carefully plug the blade handles on the blades themselves. After a few seconds, you try and pull the blades out.

Placed in your hands now are two giant swords. You examine the blades, and then focus on the handle a little more. The handle is strange: it has triggers and wires that connect to some strange contraption around your waist. You pay a bit more attention to the triggers: There is a large one that sticks out in front and two smaller ones under it that your fore and index finger rest on; the two smaller ones look similar to gun triggers. You have no idea what either of them do, but you are sure it somehow activated the machine attached to your waist.

Your eyes go from your sword triggers to the soldiers around you. The more you observe them, the more you learn. There is a man a few feet away from you and judging by the uniform, he is a soldier too; he is glaring up at one of the giant humanoid monsters that are rampaging throughout the city.

_This sim is so strange._

The swords, you know, are for killing the titan, so the things around your waist must have some type of big purpose in this too; otherwise, they wouldn't be part of a soldier's uniform. The titans are so big. What's the use of a sword if you can't even reach a good kill spot? Then it hits you. That's what this thing must be for. Somehow, the triggers on the sword handle will activate the machine. Then the machine will take you higher. You look back down at the contraption, as if continuing to stare at it is going to make it work.

If it's supposed to take you higher, then there must be some type of pressure to lift you up in the air. Something like air or…

_Gas._

_So now I know it's purpose, but I still don't really know how to make it work. The basics: The triggers activate the gas and the gas takes you higher in order for you to kill the titan. _

Speaking of which, the titan is getting dangerously close, along with a few others. Luckily, they move pretty slow. Still, you cringe at the thought of giant teeth, nearly bigger than yourself, sinking into your flesh and then down into your organs. Your breaths begin to grow shaky and your hands begin to sweat; you are beginning to feel very weak and lightheaded.

_This is just a sim, (f/n). This is just a sim. You can't _really _die._

It still feels very real though.

_This is just a sim, (f/n). It's just a sim. Think! Think! Think! You have a way to kill these things and save your life: It'll just take a little bit of figuring out is all. You're halfway there, just…_

You can't think because every thundering footstep of those monsters is making your heart beat harder and faster. You are struggling to keep your balance as the Earth shakes to the rhythm of footsteps: It is still, then violently shaking the next moment. This continues as the titan gets closer. The mantra reminding you that this is just a sim has gone completely silent. It seems every part of you has given up, and has given in to the fact that you are going to die.

_Quit being dramatic. This is just a sim! Now stop focusing on your virtual death, and focus on your ticket to getting out of this place._

You don't know what part of you said that, or what part of you makes you look back at that guy a few feet away from you again, but you have it to thank. You look at the man just in time to see him operate whatever it was that was connected to these swords. He presses down the top smaller trigger. You watch as gas flies out of the fan attached to his back, and then wires with grapplers on the ends shootout, attaching themselves to a nearby building. Then, he's flying high above the town rooftops. He clasps the large frontal trigger and it releases from the building it had attached itself to. Lastly, he squeezes the bottom smaller trigger to reel the grappler back into the contraption. Continuing to use his triggers, the man cleverly begins maneuvering in the air towards the titan; you can't believe how high some simple gas tanks and wires could take you.

But at least you know how it works now: The top smaller trigger shoots out the wires and grappling hook while simultaneously activating the gas. Then, the frontal trigger is used to release the grappling hook from the building, allowing you to fly through air freely while using the bottom smaller trigger to pull the grappling hook back in. Repeating this process could get a solider around to where they wanted to be with the titan.

Now that you know how to get in the air, you want to know how useful it could be; you want to see the easiest way to kill that monster. Compared to the size of the titan, these swords didn't seem like nearly enough. Come to think of it, neither did that guy that just flew towards it. You feel bad just letting the man fight alone, and observing him instead, but you definitely weren't ready to fight alongside him either. Though you had saw him activate his gas tanks and wires, you were still wary of trying to work them yourself: Maneuvering in the air as graceful as him was probably harder than it looked, and it seems there could be more to making the wires go the direction you want them to. Taking a chance with the triggers-shooting the wires out at a random spot while hoping for a good outcome-seems dangerous.

_I need this guy for observation._

_But he won't survive fighting alone._

_He may not even get a chance to kill the titan, and I won't get a chance to see how it's done._

You frown; your thoughts seemed to switch from selfless to selfish. Which one are you? Will you survive through selflessness or selfishness? You feel your index fingers move over to the upper small trigger, the one that will release the grappling hook and wires, and your other fingers move towards the frontal trigger. It seems your entire body is ready to do the selfless act, but mentally, you are not prepared at all. It takes all your strength to hold yourself back even if your conscience is screaming at you to help that man.

_But what help would I be if I don't even know how to work this thing? It'd be a suicide mission. There'd be no point: him and I would both die, solving nothing._

Your selfish side slowly allows you to move your fingers away from the frontal and inner trigger. You take a shaky deep breath as you return your attention back to the man.

_The best way to learn to survive in this nightmare is to study him._

The soldier seems to be handling himself well anyway. Currently, he was maneuvering around the titan's swaying hands. It was horrifying to watch, even if the man managed to avoid being grabbed by the monster.

_One slip up and he's gonna be…_

You quickly pinch your eyes shut, and shake the thought away.

_Focus (f/n). You can't think if you're afraid._

You quickly avert your attention back to the situation at hand, focusing on the man's clever movements rather than the creepy, terrifying beast that was trying to grab him. You pick up on the clue you are looking for immediately. The man is using his body to sway the wires towards the direction he wanted; mainly using his hips which hold whatever it was that is holding the wires and the hooks. While taking notice of his body movements, your eyes also catch the straps that cover him all the way up to his chest.

_I'm guessing those have a part in it too. Mainly the ones around his legs. _

The harness like straps seem to help him propel his hips towards his target better.

It is all starting to come together in your head now, and the feeling of understanding this new fighting device was almost hope-restoring. Looking down at your own uniform, you allow yourself to smile.

_With enough strength and balance, nearly anyone could operate this._

But that thought presents another problem.

_Do _I _have enough strength and balance?_

Without strength and balance, these wires will get you no where. You will simply go flying around like a rag doll with no sense of direction what-so-ever. A sigh escapes your mouth as your eyebrows furrow into a deep frown of concentration.

_There's so much thinking to this sim._

The booming sound of a large footstep jolts you out of your thoughts, and you turn around to see a titan slowly making it's way down the street.

And it has it's large eyes on you; a creepy grin plastered across it's face.

Your breath hitches in your throat and for a moment you feel your heart stopping beating. You want to turn your head away, but like when you saw that first soldier get eaten, you can't. It appears to be almost impossible not to stare death in the face when it was right behind you.

_Oh god no, I don't have any more time to think._

Then you realize that there really is nothing left to think about; it all simply comes down to how you can perform on this fighting device. The footsteps behind you are only getting more resonant, and you can feel the ground shake more powerfully as the titan got closer to you. You are panicking now because you can't stop fearing the worst of what will happen if you try to fight.

_I don't even know how to kill this thing. I don't even know if I can get high enough to kill it. My balance and strength are questionable… but if I just stand here, I could die. But if I operate this fighting gear, and fail, then I still could die._

At least the latter thought gave you other options. Standing here, death was inevitable, but if you use your gear, then there is a _possibility _you could live.

_Looks like fighting is my best option. Or at least… the less worst option._

But you aren't ready to fight now, so taking a deep breath, you break into a sprint the opposite direction of the titan pursuing you. Looking up ahead, you see steam, and lots of it.

_Steam? Where the hell would steam be coming from, and this much of it?_

The steam begins to surround you, turning everything around you to cloudy silhouettes. You stop in your tracks, fearing you might run into something you don't want to. The steam is so thick that you can't even see a path, so it is best to go slow and watch your step. You can still hear the footfalls of approaching titans- the sound is insanely and torturously slow. Luckily, you also hear the shouts and calls of other soldiers as they direct the citizens around through the steam. You tried your best to just follow the voices and scurrying footsteps of people running, but you end up tripping over something large in the path. You fall flat on your face into the cobblestones, your blades flying out of your hands and clattering on the ground beside you.

Groaning, you take a second to get over the impact of the ground slapping your face. Then, you slowly try to stand up, grabbing your swords along the way. Once you are on your feet, you dust any street debris off your uniform, and turn around to see what you had tripped over. You can barely see anything other than a shadowy outline of it, but that was enough to tell how big it was.

_Whoa. What is this?_

Taking a few steps back and gazing up, you couldn't believe what your eyes were taking in.

You seemed to be standing under a giant rib cage: the spinal cord laying on the street longer than the houses and stores next to it. Following a the spinal cord, the giant skull that lay up ahead, and even from this far away you could see it's black and empty eyes. Your hand flies to your mouth to keep the scream forming in your throat from escaping. This skeleton has to belong to a titan.

_Someone actually killed one of these things?_

The steam in the air was rising from the decaying titan body.

_How bizarre. They're bodies just decay into ash and steam in a matter of seconds._

The bones are no longer hard and white like they should be; you watch as some of them slowly burn into grey ash and then collapse onto the ground with a deafening sound, creating more ash and steam. More bones begin to collapse around you, and you take this as a hint to run before you're buried alive in them. It is hard to run: the contaminated air is making you choke and cough every time you take a breath, but you have to run as fast as you can. With all the new pollution, it is harder to see than before. The steam is getting hotter as more bones decay. If you don't get out of this area soon, you will suffocate.

_I made it this far. I will not allow myself to die from a _dead _titan._

You manage to see the corner of a building on the path ahead of you, and you race towards it, turning at the corner. You arrive at a new path with fresh air. Seeing that you are out of sight from titans or other soldiers, you take this as a time to rest. Pressing your back against the brick wall, you slide down so that you're sitting on the street. You close your eyes and inhale the fresh, ash-free air.

_When will this simulation end? What do I have to do to make it end? _

_Fight._

_But I cant. I have no idea how to kill these things, and I'm scared, really scared, of them: whether they're dead or alive. _

You don't want to fight, but you don't want to die either.

_I haven't even gotten into a situation where I've actually needed to fight._

As if some outer force had been listening your thoughts, you hear screaming. The scream is blood-curdling and it makes your heart jump. Your eyes widen in panic, and in a second, you're on your feet. A new energy is running through you as you sprint towards the direction the scream had sounded from. Something about that scream drove you to it; it was young. It was the scream of a child.

The scream tore through your heart, and whatever ideas you had about not fighting were gone.

It was just like the last simulation: you were going to ditch your own life if it meant it could save someone else's; no second thoughts.

_But is it just because this is a simulation? Strange. How could they test people on their reactions to certain situations if the person knows it isn't real? A person's decision might change if they know there are no real consequences to their actions… including mine._

The thought causes you to stop running; it felt like a stab in the heart.

_If I was going to _really _die, would I do this?_

_If this was _real_, would I really do this?_

The answer is another knife in your chest, and makes you feel sick with guilt.

_No, I wouldn't._

The child screams again, this time it was followed by the familiar sound of a titan slowly chasing it's prey.

The scream still feels real, and you can't just sit and listen to it. It will only grow more grotesque once the titan catches the child.

In real life, you would run to escape the sound; just ignore it and try to forget that it's there.

But this was a simulation, and in here, you were willing to do anything to get this child out of danger.

Although, deep down, you know that you are only saving this child so that you can get out of this sim, and so that their screaming will stop forming more guilt inside you.

Subconsciously, you use the cuffs of your sleeve to wipe tears from your face, although you hadn't really realized you had been crying.

_In a way, these sims really do show what kind of person I really am._

A few choking sob sounds escape your lips, and you just wanted to collapse on your knees and cry.

Whether you want to believe it or not, you are selfish. If you had to choose between your life and a soldier's, you'd choose your own. If you have to choose between a _child's_ life and your own, you will still choose yourself.

There's no other way to think about it, and you didn't want to think about, so instead you focus on your current task of saving the sim-child. Rubbing your face roughly with the cuffs of your sleeves again, you wipe away the remaining tears on your face. You then place your fingers on the triggers of your both of your blades, and dash towards your exit out of this sim.

"_Exit out of this sim"?_

It was a selfish thought; a cruel one even.

_I didn't even think of calling the situation "a child in danger"._

It doesn't take long to arrive at the scene, and surprisingly, to your relief, the child is alive; it is still in danger, but alive. Upon closer observation you see the child is a little girl: she has long blonde hair, big blue eyes, and she is wearing a simple grey dress. She reminds you of the Abnegation girls at home, but their hair would be tied up in a tight bun. The young girl is hiding behind a carriage in a sad attempt to throw off the 7 meter titan coming her direction. It knows where she is, and you couldn't have arrived at a better time, because it is getting close.

Taking a deep breath, you prepare for your false act of bravery. You don't really have a plan: you are just going to charge into action. Whether you die in a gear-related accident, or in a titan's jaws, it will still give the girl time to get away, and that is all that matters. Well, that and getting out of here; this wasn't really fighting, but it was enough to get out of this sim.

_Is the simulation aware that I'm aware? There's only one way to find out._

Without hesitation, you press the top small trigger, using your legs to aim the grappling hooks at the building a few feet ahead of you. You weren't prepared for the amount of force the gas and the grappling hooks came with to propel you forward, but you manage to find enough to strength to keep your body from slamming into a wall. You actually get yourself in the air, which causes you to panic a little. Through the panic, you are still able to push both the frontal trigger and the lower smaller trigger in order to reel your hooks back in. Your eyes scan the area quickly for something else to latch onto; fortunately, your gas was keeping you from falling down to the ground. Since you have now captured the attention of the titan approaching the girl, you decide that your best option now would be to lead it away from her.

You can see the blonde haired girl peeking her head out from behind the carriage, even from so far up in the air, you can see the awe in her eyes.

_Don't thank me just yet, kid._

"RUN!" you scream at the top of your lungs at her. "RUN NOW! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE KILLED BY THIS THING THEN RUN!"

Her eyes widen in surprise, but she appears to get the message, and flees the opposite direction of me and the titan. You relax a little seeing that the titan doesn't even notice.

_I'm doing good so far, but I have to be careful. That was just my first run in the gear. I can't be fancy with my maneuvers._

There's a building to the titan's left side, and you consider latching onto that, but if the titan were to swing it's hand while you were flying past it and hit you then it would be all over.

_But the girl is safe._

_And I can't die for real._

The titan's large eyes are emotionless, yet they show so much malice. It chills you to the bone, but now that your attention is on it's face, you notice something. The titan is straight in front of you, therefore, it would be a much easier route for your gear than trying to move around it. It was a crazy idea, but it you have a better chance of living with this one: you are going to latch yourself onto it's face.

You press your top small trigger with as much force you can, until the trigger will not push back any further. You launch yourself at it's face with full force. It doesn't even have time to react as you stick your two swords out, and implant them into it's eyes upon landing on it's face, planting the swords as deep as you could straight in it's pupils.

_I was tired of looking at those damn eyes._

You can't help but grin at the damn monster's howl of pain, and the success in your maneuver. The titan's hands fly to it's eyes, but you push yourself off it's face with your legs before the giant hands can smash you, leaving the blades of your swords behind in the eyes of the titan. The titan falls to the ground, and it gives you an opening to sail over it's head onto a building behind it. To increase your chance of landing on the roof, you activate your grappling hooks for good measure. They get you on the roof, but the maneuver was sort of sloppy, and you end up smacking into the roof with your shoulder and rolling on it's tiles as a landing. It hurt, but you are alive.

Alive, and nearly done with this sim.

_I'm guessing blinding it isnt going to be all that it takes to get me out. I probably have to kill it._

Your muscles and bones feel a little sore from the fighting and the rough landing you just did, but you stand up anyway. You're relieved to see your gear is still intact, and that you didn't lose your sword handles. Connecting the sword handles to the extra blades in your two holsters, you pull out an entirely new set of swords. You run over to the edge of the roof, and examine the titan. It's hands are still covering it's eyes, but you can see steam coming through it's fingers.

_I thought steam only came when they've been killed. Guess it applies to injuries too._

Even though it is still blind, the titan swats it's left hand around, hoping to catch you by some miracle. It was moving around too much for you to do anything with gear, so you need to find some way to keep the titan still. It has to be still enough for you to be able to kill it.

_Besides killing it, what other way is there to stop it from moving? _

_Cut it's limbs off?_

You frown at the idea: it's arm was swinging around too much for you to get past it to where you need to cut, and you didn't know how well you could maneuver yourself to cut its legs.

_Is there an easier way?_

You peer down at the ground, some part of you already knowing the answer.

_The heels would work._

The titan's heels are close to the ground, meaning you will just need a little gas, and you won't have to fly too high.

_If I cut it at the heels, then it will either fall backwards or forwards. Either way, it gives me an opportunity to do what I need to do to get out of this sim. _

You decide that you will cut it's head off. The swords seem too small to fully pierce the heart of these things, and the heart seemed too easy for some reason.

But there is no time to ponder why, because the titan has somehow recovered from your attack at it's eyes. In fact, upon closer observation, you realize that his eyes were fully healed.

_What the hell?_

If these things could regenerate within such a short amount a time, you are going to really have to work fast, and you are still getting the hang of this gear.

_This sim has been one surprise after another_, you think in frustration, glaring at the titan approaching you.

Either you fight and win, or you die. But either way, you are going to get out of this sim.

"Here goes nothing," you mutter shakily under your breath.

There is plenty of room on the roof to get ahead of the titan, so you make a break to your right. The titan follows you, but at a much slower pace of course. After you feel like you've had enough of a running start, you start running in a curve back towards the edge of the roof and then jump off with all your strength. You use your grappling hooks, which attach themselves to a higher roof top than the one you are on, to swing yourself onto the ground rather than let yourself fall. Then you turn around, and see that the titan is still a little ways behind you. Although it is like running towards your own death, you go for it anyway.

You can't believe how fast you can run when your life depends on it. Though it is a sim, adrenaline rushes through your body: it is fiery, invigorating, and the way it burns inside you pushes you to run and fight with all you have. Getting very close to your target, you let out a cry as you ready your swords for slicing. Pushing yourself upwards a little with the gas from your gear, you swing the swords as fast and as hard as you can. The muscles in your shoulders are pulled painfully, but the swords slash through the titan's flesh as if it was nothing. You continue the speedy process of using your gas to propel yourself upward and around the titan's feet, while slicing at them, making deep cuts in the flesh and muscles.

Steamy, hot blood flies everywhere, getting on your face and clothes, but you are too lost in your fight to care. You didn't even show the slightest concern at the titan's attempts to catch you with it's giant hands because you are too fast for it. Before you know it, the titan is falling forward onto it's face. You don't waste anytime to watch it fall as you latch yourself onto a high roof with your hooks, and swing yourself high into the air. You release and reel the hooks back in then use your gas to elevate yourself higher into the air. You now float hundreds of feet above the nape of the titan's neck, your swords ready to slice again. You release your grappling hooks once more, each one attaching to a building on your right and left, then swing down towards the titan as fast as your remaining gas will take you.

_This is it. If I just let myself swing down from here, I can land on part of his neck and this sword will slice straight through the back of it deep enough to severe it's head off._

It is scary, getting closer to the titan at such a speed, but thrilling at the same time. The fear, exhilaration, and the thirst for the blood of monster are a powerful combo that seem to take control over you as you swing down; it doesn't seem to bother you at all how fast you are arriving at the titan's neck. The titan sluggishly tries to get up, but you are ready, and so are your swords. You can tell it wants to run, but it can't. You land on the trapezius part of the titan's neck, and the moment finally comes where you can bring down your swords. The swords hit the titan's rough skin at full force, causing them to slide down through the nape of the neck with ease. It is a rough yet smooth slide as the swords run through muscles and bone, but you continue to carve deeper, creating a cavernous cut. You make a two horizontal paths through the titan's neck with your swords, and eventually they come to the end of the neck. Bringing your swords up, you grin in victory as the titan's giant head falls to the ground, steam immediately making it's way in the head's absence.

When the titan's head hits the ground, it's almost as if it took all your energy with it. Without your adrenaline, you are completely out of strength and power, so you drop to your knees, and fall back. You forget you are sitting on the back of titan, so your body hits the street hard, and there's no adrenaline rush to stop the pain, so you cry out. Your swords, now covered with evaporating titan blood, lay beside you. You now lay on the ground with your body outstretched and in agony.

_But at least it's all over_, you think in exhaustion.

You smile which then turns into a weak yet happy laugh as the world around you begins to fade into the white light that welcomes a person who has completed their sim.

. . . Levi's P.O.V.

_No_, I groan internally. _I wasn't expecting to have a test result like this already._

And I certainly am not prepared to do what I am supposed to do when this type of result pops up.

_I didn't think there would be one so soon, or one at all._

I roll my eyes and groan.

_Just my luck._

Moving my hand to the gun attached to the belt on my waist, my eyes divert from the screen of the testing computer to the (h/c) haired Amity girl lying in the testing chair. She is still coming to.

_The room is soundproof, and she's not quite awake yet._

Now would be the perfect time to do what I was assigned to do without any trouble from her. The thing is, I don't really want to, and I definitely am not the type of man to kill a young girl in her sleep. But the Erudite and Dauntless will know right away if I am to let her live; there is definitely no hiding things from the Erudite.

Especially Divergents.

But I am going to try anyway.


	6. Chapter 6: Inconclusive

Your eyes finally shoot open as you awake from what felt like a never-ending dream. You quickly glance to your side to see if the man who had given me my test was still there. You were relieved to see Levi standing there at the aptitude test computer: His presence meant that you were back in the testing room, the _real _testing room. You relax in the leather chair you were lying on, taking a few deep breaths to help calm your racing heartbeat down. You still felt like you had just woken up from the most horrifying nightmare of your life; images of grinning titans and dogs dying at your hands still flashing clear in your mind. It felt like a dream yet the whole thing felt so real. You sit up in the chair and look at Levi again, trying to distract yourself from the gruesome imagery within your thoughts.

_Shouldn't he have given me my results by now?_

Then again, you were still learning how Aptitude Testing worked, so you didn't how long it took to gather up a result, but Erudite technology usually works pretty fast, so you were assuming the results would be in as soon as you woke up. Levi was staring at the screen with an expression you couldn't read.

Anger?

Shock?

You didn't know. He seemed to be thinking; and while he thought, you slowly noticed he had his hand grasped around something attached to the side of his belt. At further examination, you realize he's holding the handle of a gun. Your heart stops and your eyes widen for the number the time that day.

_Is he going to shoot me? Am I still in the Aptitude Test?_

No, you could definitely tell you were awake: the room didn't have that dream-like feel to it like it did in the simulations. And the fear you were feeling was more real than anything you felt while in the test.

_Why does he want to shoot me?_

Your brain was still dizzy from the test, and now you were petrified, but you try with all your might to form words through your choking terror.

_Dying in a simulation was one thing.. I knew I wasn't going to die._

But in real life, the thought of a bullet flying through you flesh, muscles, and bone and ending your life made everything in your body go still, as if you were already dead.

"Are you going to shoot me?" pops out of your mouth.

Your voice sounds choked and strained, like someone has your vocal cords clenched in their fists, and is squeezing harder and harder as your fear grew.

Levi finally glances up at me; his hand still holding the gun handle. You tried to focus on his face, his eyes, rather than the life-reaping weapon at his side. His face shows he's still thinking about something, but he answers my question.

"No," he answers, pursing his lips together as if he is unsure of his answer. "I'm not."

The flood of relief when the word "no" comes out of his mouth felt like a tsunami against your heart; you felt like you had just been revived from the dead now that you were breathing again. Fear was a deadly thing in itself. Even though your nerves were eased by his words, part of you was still suspicious as to why he was holding the gun in the first place: What reason did he have to shoot you while you were unconscious? The possible answers frightened you, but you had to ask anyway. You couldn't just ignore the fact that he was about to take your life away for some unknown reason.

"So why were you holding your gun?" you interrogate, a little anger rising in your voice as you cross your arms and raise your eyebrow. "Why were you going to shoot me in the first place?"

"Soldier's habit. Sorry if I made you nervous," he answers vaguely.

_Soldiers only shoot people that are threat._

You are about to drill him with more questions, frustrated with his vagueness. He was acting too casual for someone who was about to murder an innocent 16 year old girl. Before you could vent out all your anger on the matter, he clears his throat and changes the subject.

"I need you to listen _very carefully_-"

"Why were you going to shoot me?" you ask again, persistent on knowing. Then another question appears in your mind, probably less important than the first, but still important enough. "What were my test results?"

You hated interrupting people: in Amity, you were always taught to listen to what other people had to say in order to keep peaceful relationships. Not to mention, this guy definitely didn't seem like the type of person you should interrupt, but there were so many questions shooting through your mind, and you deserved an answer to all of them. Besides, you definitely couldnt consider yourself an Amity anymore or even pretend to be. But, your fiery temper subsides when you see the dark glare that has taken form on his face and the icy stare in his eyes. You don't know how, but he made you regret it, even though he was the one who tried to kill you.

"If you had let me finish," he says tersely. "I was getting to that."

You mutter a small apology, feeling pathetic for being the one to apologize in this situation, but he ignores it and moves on.

"Your test results, in a word, were inconclusive. This computer is supposed to give you a bunch of scenarios and depending on your reaction, rule out certain factions until you only had one. That was not the case with you."

This doesn't explain why he was going to kill you, but it did answer your result in question.

_The test…. Didnt work on me?_

This news both shocked you, yet angered you at the same time. You were done with the riddles and puzzles this day had presented you with.

"Not the case with me? Why the hell didn't it work?"

Levi's eyebrows raise at my use of the word "hell"; his lips curl up in a small smirk of amusement.

"Yes, I know. Amity don't use such "negative" words like hell, but-"

"But you're not a normal Amity?" he finishes for me. "Yes, I know. In fact, your not normal at all."

He checks his watch, leaving me hanging at _you're not normal at all._

What does that mean? What does it mean when an Aptitude test doesn't work? Does it happen something to do with the reason he was going to go to such extremes as to murder me? Why would it? Usually when test don't work, when you don't belong in any faction, you become factionless.

Then a realization sparks in your brain, interrupting and stopping all other thoughts in their tracks.

_Maybe it's not that I don't belong in any faction…. Maybe it's that I belong in _all _of them._

Does such a result exist? And if so, what does it mean to get such a result? what happens to the people that get these results…

An unexpected vision of Levi pulling out his gun and firing at your skull flashes through your brain, and your heart goes cold. The answer to your last question was clear: People weren't supposed to get these types of results. They weren't supposed to exist. Therefore, they were supposed to die.

"What does it mean to have this type of result?" you ask, slowly bringing yourself to look into Levi's eyes.

"I don't have time to go into details," Levi answers. "But basically, the test doesn't work on you. You're a special sort of being known as.." He pauses, seeming to be debating whether to say something aloud or not. "Divergent."

_Divergent?_

You think you've heard that word before. No, you saw it in an old dictionary once: the word meant "to differ from the norm".

"Okay," you say slowly, processing what he had just said. "Okay, so i'm different? Why would the test not work on me? Why would I have to die because i'm _different_?"

"I told you, there isn't any time to go into details, and it's definitely something that shouldn't be discussed here."

He turns his back to me and begins typing something into the computer.

"I'm not asking you to go into details, I just want to know why I was almost shot in my sleep?" you ask again, exasperated by this man's secrecy.

_He tried to shoot me and now he's keeping secrets. My guess is: someone wants me dead, someone wants these so called "Divergents" dead, and he's working for them._

"So i'm Diver-

"Don't say that so loud," he snaps, looking back to glare at me.

His sudden outburst scares you, and puts you back into your place. Whatever was going on, it was definitely a stressful situation for him too.

But why?

Gulping, you carefully began to speak again, choosing your word choice carefully this time.

"So i'm _different_," you try again. "and someone wants me dead. And you work for them?"

He pauses in his frantic typing, and glances at me; a hard, stern look plastered on his face.

"Yes, you are different. Yes, there are some people out there who would rather not have you exist. As for the last one…" he answers, turning to face me fully.

"I'm unsure how to answer that at the moment," he says finally after a long silence. "But trust me, these are not people you want to disobey."

"Yet you are disobeying them?" you ask, raising an eyebrow. "Because i'm guessing i'm supposed to be a rotting corpse with a bullet hole right now?"

He doesn't answer, continuing his typing.

_What is he doing?_

"I'm manually plugging in your results as Amity. To them right now, your test was a success and has ruled you into one faction," he says, as if reading your mind.

You swear Levi chuckles when he sees the distaste in your face.

"This is just for your safety. Your choice of faction is still entirely up to you," he reassures. "But, I will advise you to choose wisely. You don't want to pick a faction you clearly don't belong in and stick out."

You still aren't entirely relieved because there was still the matter of choosing the right faction. You're test didn't work, so you had no idea which faction you truly belonged in. If your result couldn't be narrowed down to one, then how many did you actually score in?

"Levi?"

He had one of the Erudite's mini computers in his hands now, and seemed to be concentrating on a new task. But he hums in response.

"If my result wasn't just one faction, how many factions was it that I scored in?"

Levi looks up from his computer to meet my eyes for a moment, but he's silent, seeming hesitant about answering my question. He takes one look at his watch, and then his eyes are on mine again.

"You had small results in three factions," he answers. "From highest to lowest percentage, your results come in this order: Erudite, Dauntless, Abnegation. No Amity."

You frown. There was one missing, and you don't even remember being tested on it.

"What about Candor?"

"Tell me, were you aware the whole time you were in the test? Did you know that it was just a test while you were fighting for your life? Was the bravery just an act?

The question throws you off guard. What did this have to do with what you just asked? You were afraid to answer his questions.

_So I really wasn't supposed to be aware during the test. I spent the entire simulation thinking it was normal._

Levi is studying you intently, his eyes never leaving yours. You could see that he was trying to read you, to read your thoughts by reading your eyes. You try to pull of a certain amount of composure as you stared back. Although you hadn't been able to keep your composure all day, why would now be any different?

_Is being aware during simulation somehow like cheating? But it's not like I had a choice in being aware, I just knew the whole time I was there._

You ponder if this has something to do with being "Divergent" or if it was a whole other situation.

_If I answer truthfully, will he reconsider sparing my life? Why did he ask that so suddenly?_

"_If I answer truthfully…" _repeats in your head again, and it dawns on you what it was he was trying to get through this question.

"Finally figured it out, huh?" Levi asks, slight amusement appearing in his tone. "I don't need a computer to tell me that you're not Candor. If you were, you would've answered my question without a second thought. You would've rather died than lied if you were a true Candor."

Your dumbfounded.

_So if he knows the answer already…_

"You are correct in thinking that your result is tied with your awareness. You awareness is a key factor in the reason certain people don't want you alive."

You didn't feel comfortable that he was talking about this so openly. Granted, you were in sound proof room, but now that you knew someone wanted you dead, you felt like they had eyes and ears everywhere, waiting to hear key words like "awareness" and "Divergent". You glance around nervously: at the walls, at the ceiling, feeling like death was staring right at you, but you just couldn't see it. Levi catches you wandering eyes.

"Dont worry, I hacked the cameras. They are only seeing what I want them to see. But they'll figure it out eventually, so that doesn't leave us much time."

_So there were cameras…_

You shiver at the thought. But then look at Levi, amazed at his quick thinking and technology skills.

_Was Levi an Erudite? _He definitely didn't act like a Dauntless.

You decided not to ponder over it, and focus on your own faction situation.

"I want to know how I scored Dauntless… And Erudite, and Abnegation." you demand rather than ask, frowning in confusion. "In what way did I display intelligence, bravery, or selflessness in that sim?"

To you, all of it was fake since it was nothing more than a sim.

"Because you were aware during your simulations, none of these results are particularly accurate, but the computer still worked with what it gathered from you pretending to not know what was happening was all just an illusion," he begins explaining. "Do you remember that machine you used to kill that titan? Well, there's a reason I didn't give you step by step instructions on how to operate it, or even make it easy to operate. An Erudite observe their surroundings in order to figure out things they don't understand, and continue to develop their understanding of it. You showed this result by observing that man next to you who was operating his own gear then continuing to figure it out yourself, and furthering your abilities with it. Then you risked your life twice to save others- you displayed brave, selfless acts."

"In showing bravery and selflessness on more than one simulation, the computer could not rule them out. It could not eliminate your Erudite results either."

"But as I mentioned before, if you had not known that was a simulation, you may have not been so brave. So your results, according to the computer, are inconclusive."

"To me, you aren't divergent because you display more than one aptitude. I can't deny that you do seem to be rather intelligent, but I don't think you are truly brave or selfless. You're divergent because you are aware."

You let it all sink in.

The test didn't work on you. You displayed three aptitudes but none of them were really accurate...Because you were aware? And now you're supposedly this defective freak that someone wants dead?

_All because i'm aware…? All because i'm… Divergent?_

You couldn't wrap your head around any of this. You wanted him to answer more questions, but he grabs your shoulders and starts leading you towards the door.

"Wait, but I.. What do I choose?"

"Whatever you think is best for your safety." he says bluntly. "Choose and don't regret your decision."

He leans close to your face, and whispers harshly, "do not tell anybody about this. Absolutely no one can know. Not even your family. There could be fatal consequences if you slip up, do you understand?"

"Yes," you manage to reply.

"Good. Now go home."

He opens the door, and shoves me out into the hallway.

"But-"

"Explanations will come later."

And with that, he slams the door in my face, leaving me with a million questions.

_Well that was rude _was the first thought that popped into your head. But you suppose he had his reasons. After all, he just risked his life to save yours. You honestly wished you had thanked him instead of firing questions at him. But a part of you felt like that wasn't the last time you were going to meet him.


End file.
